The present invention relates to an air conditioner having a plurality of indoor units are provided such that the air conditioner is capable of converting a simultaneous operation of cooling and heating or a switching operation of cooling and heating upon a user's request.
Conventional simultaneous cooling and heating type air conditioners include a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, a four-way valve, one outdoor unit with an expansion valve, indoor units, a distributor including opening and closing valves, and a high pressure gas pipe, a low pressure gas pipe and a high pressure liquid line which are provided between the outdoor unit and indoor units.
Such simultaneous cooling and heating type air conditioners perform, by selectively opening and closing the opening and closing valves of the distributor, an all indoor units heating operation in which all of the indoor unit heats, an all indoor units cooling operation in which all of the indoor units cool, a heating-oriented operation in which a few indoor units perform a cooling operation and the rest of the indoor units perform a heating operation, and a cooling-oriented operation in which a few indoor units heat and the rest of the indoor units cool.
In addition, cooling and heating switching type air conditioners include a compressor, an outdoor heat exchanger, a four-way valve, one outdoor unit with an expansion valve, indoor units, and a gas pipe and a liquid line provided between the outdoor unit and the indoor units.
Such cooling and heating switching type air conditioners perform, by switching the flow of a refrigerant with the four-way valve, an all indoor units heating operation in which all of the indoor units heat, an all indoor units cooling operation in which all of the indoor units cool.